Find Me By Starlight
by littlelove13
Summary: The four Pevensie children find themselves swept back into Narnia; this time bringing along a friend.
1. Chapter 1

"Peter, Peter wake up!"

Peter rolled over slowly and looked up at his younger sister Lucy.

"Lucy, what's going on?" He asked groggily, pushing himself up onto his elbow and rubbing a hand over his face.

"We're going to miss the train!" Lucy cried, grabbing Peter by the arm and trying to drag him out of bed. He smiled at her futile efforts and at last hoisted himself up. He bent down and lifted Lucy into the air; spinning her around his head. She shrieked in mock terror, and when he dropped her onto the bed, she dissolved into childish laughter.

They looked up at the sound of a groan from the opposite side of the room where Edmund was just waking up.

"Why don't you ever jump on him?" He whispered to Lucy.

"Because he always hits me and throws me off when I do!" She explained. Peter smirked and picked Lucy back up; carrying her over to Edmund's bed. He dangled her over it and she tentatively pushed her foot into Edmund's face. This continued for a few moments until Edmund's hand shot out in an attempt to grab her leg. Peter was faster, though, and lifted Lucy out of harms way.

"Get away!" Edmund yelled as he tried to roll back over for a few more minutes sleep.

"Lu says it's time to go." Peter shook his younger brother out of bed. Edmund sat back down stubbornly and Peter sighed.

"I don't care what Lu says, I'm going back to sleep." Edmund was always in a foul humor about waking up and Lucy stuck her tongue out at him. Edmund lunged at her and she ran behind Peter's legs. Peter shooed her out of the room and she scampered to the safety of her own.

"Alright Ed, now I'm saying it's time to go. Get up." Peter glared dangerously down at his brother, and Edmund sighed, hauling himself up and over to his dresser. The boys quickly pulled their pajamas off and their clothes on; occasionally throwing something at one another just to show that past aggressions were not, in fact, forgiven.

When the boys at last stumbled down the stairs, Lucy was already sitting at the table with a piece of toast and a book. She looked up and smiled at Peter, who rumpled her hair before taking his seat. Susan came through the door then, and everyone could tell she had put some effort into her attire. Peter raised an eyebrow at her but she ignored him. Peter decided to let it be, and reached for a piece of toast himself.

After their breakfast they loaded into their mothers car to drive to the station. Lucy sang quietly in her seat, resting her head on Susan's shoulder. On her other side, Edmund was becoming increasingly annoyed by her singing and eventually turned and shoved her into Susan.

"Shut up will you?" He glared at Lucy then and she leaned more heavily into Susan, looking hurt. Edmund turned away from her, feeling badly. A heavy silence filled the car, and Susan reached behind Lucy tapping Edmund's shoulder. He looked at her and she gave him her best, "Don't you dare do that to her again" look and brought her hand back down. Edmund fought the anger he felt boiling inside him at Susan's infuriating know-it-all attitude.

He glanced over and found that Lucy was sleeping against Susan. She was sort of cute when she was sleeping. Just then the car jolted over a bump and Lucy bounced so that she was leaning on him. He started to push her back at Susan, but at the last moment thought better of it and put an arm around her. He allowed a tiny smile to spread across his face. He could take care of the girls just as well as Peter could. He had proven this before, and he had no doubt that he would again.


	2. Chapter 2

Once on the train, everyone was in a much better mood. They were going to a knew school and were eager to explore it. Peter and Edmund weren't fighting, and for once Susan wasn't telling anyone what to do. Lucy sat staring out the window, deep in thought.

Out of no where, there was a crash in the hallway. The siblings looked at one another in confusion until Peter finally stood up to find out what was going on. When he was out of sight, Susan stood up and looked out down the hall. More crashes ensued along with a muffled scream. Lucy tried to run after Peter, convinced that he was in mortal danger; but was stopped by Susan. After a minute or two Peter came back; his lip was split and at his side was a trembling girl. He had his arm around her protectively and he had murder in his eyes. He guided her to the seat next to Lucy and then left again without a word. Lucy looked at the girl and noticed for the first time that bruises in the shape of a hand were coming in around her neck. Susan sat down next to Edmund and they all were silent until Peter came back with a bag of ice for the girls bruises.

After a few more minutes of awkward silence Lucy finally spoke up.

"What's your name?" She asked the girl. The girls eyes widened, and she slowly brought the ice away from her neck.

"Katherine," She said quietly.

Her accent was French, and as Lucy had never met someone from France, she was delighted.

"Katherine? That's a lovely name! I'm Lucy. That's Susan, Edmund, and Peter. Are you going to Stanborough too?"

"Yes," Katherine didn't seem to want to talk, and Lucy eventually gave up. The car lapsed back into silence.

When someone next spoke, it was again Lucy. She had been looking out the window again, and now turned to Peter.

"Do you think he'll ever call us back?" Peter looked from his siblings, to Katherine, and back to Lucy.

"I don't know, but let's talk about it later alright?" Lucy bit her lip, and pressed on.

"Don't you think it's strange? It's been almost a year since we've been to Narnia." Peter looked to Susan for help.

"Lucy, that's enough." Susan said sharply. Lucy scowled at Susan and turned to Edmund.

"Ed, I-" Lucy was cut off by a sharp look from her brother. She sat back in her seat and glanced over at Katherine.

Katherine was looking at her curiously and suddenly she smiled. Lucy sat up and said,

"Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Finally Peter had had enough. "Lucy, shut up. She'll think we're crazy."

"Of course not." Katherine smiled at Lucy. "You can go ahead."

Lucy didn't waste a moment. She launched, to her siblings horror, into a detailed explanation of finding Narnia, meeting Aslan, and defeating the White Witch.

"Peter was so brave when the wolf attacked Susan and me!"

"Now, is this the talking wolf, or the dumb one?" Katherine asked calmly. The three older siblings stared at her in disbelief. She was taking Lucy's stories as though they were completely normal.

"Maugrim was the captain. He could talk." Lucy explained.

"You're taking this awfully well. Do you know something we don't?" Susan looked at Katherine skeptically.

"They are stories, no? There is no harm in stories." Understanding dawned on Katherine's face. " She is saying they are true; that you've been there."

"But we have! We were kings and queens! We-" Lucy tried desperately to make Katherine understand, but stopped when she could clearly see that Katherine didn't believe her. It was like the wardrobe all over again. She sighed and turned to the window, hating stupid older kids who didn't believe in anything.

Suddenly, the car began to shake. At first, the children ignored it; but when it persisted, they nervously looked to Peter to see what was causing the shaking. He stood and looked out the window beside Lucy, trying to see if they were going over a particularly rough piece of track. He frowned when he saw that the track was smooth. Without warning, Peter was thrown backwards onto the seat. The shaking had become more violent and Lucy was staring at Susan; a grin spreading across her face. Katherine had sat through this whole ordeal and was glancing worriedly from Susan to Lucy. Peter took one last, fleeting look out the window and grabbed Lucy's hand. Susan understood and grabbed Lucy's other hand. She reached for Edmund, but Edmund pulled away as he always did at any sign of affection.

"Just take her hand!" Peter yelled above a screaming wind that was ripping at their clothes.

Katherine sat huddled in the corner, terrified of what was happening. Before her eyes, the four children were disappearing.

Seemingly out of thin air, a voice boomed.

"Bring her."

Without hesitation, Peter's hand shot out and caught her own. She was pulled into a swirling vortex of colors, and the next moment, she was standing in the woods beside four slightly winded, but grinning people. Katherine crumpled to her knees and clutched her bag to her chest. The other four ran off into the woods together; laughing and jumping. Peter was swinging Lucy around by her hands, and Edmund, who had found a river, was splashing a shrieking Susan. Katherine shook her head, scolding herself for her behavior. All day she had been acting like some prissy little helpless thing. She pulled herself to her feet using a nearby branch and brushed herself off. Taking a deep breath, she began to call out to the others and have them explain, but her call stuck in her throat as she witnessed a huge lion pad out of the woods. Lucy saw him first and ran to him calling, "Aslan, Aslan! It's so good to be back! Why did you wait so long? Finchley is so boring after Narnia!"

The lion lay down in front of Lucy as she crashed into it. Then the lion opened his mouth and said,

"I know, Dear One, but the time was not yet right"

Katherine had had all that she could take. She put a hand on the tree to steady herself and shut her eyes. When she opened them, she found that the Lion had gotten up and was moving slowly towards her. She watched him warily, not quite afraid, but thinking that she had gone completely mad.

"Katherine," The lion rumbled, "Come here."

Katherine rolled her eyes and started towards the lion.

"Oh, je dois devenir fou*.," She whispered in rushed French. "Come here. Come here. Why of course! Why ever not? He seems like a nice lion. Good conversationalist too, don't you think?" She looked pointedly at Lucy, who giggled and finally she stopped about two paces from the Lion. "There's only one problem, Mr. Lion," She said, earning more laughter, this time from all four siblings, "and here it is." At this point Katherine was feeling a bit hysterical as she gestured a hand pointlessly in the air. "LION'S CAN NOT TALK!" She yelled finally.

"Aslan." Lucy said.

"What?" Katherine looked at the others desperately, but this all seemed completely normal to them.

"That's his name." Edmund smirked at her perplexed look.

"Oh, well, that clears that up, now doesn't it?" She forced a completely fake smile. "Now that I know that his name is Aslan, we can really get to know each other! Except that the fact remains that lions can't talk!"

Aslan laughed and walked closer to her. Katherine turned to him and felt suddenly that she really aught to sit down. She did so, and Aslan explained everything in detail from the beginning. She looked up at him calmly, deciding that everything would be alright, and that she needed to keep an open mind. That didn't stop her though, when a squirrel came rushing down out of a tree and said "Hello, Daughter of Eve!" from gasping and yelling,

"Bon Seigneur*, can they all talk?"

After everything had been explained, and Katherine had had time to process it all, Peter decided that Katherine needed extra care. He took her under his wing and found that she was actually quite interesting. He discovered, much to his dismay, that she was also quite attractive. Over the next few days he taught her all he knew about fencing, and found that she was absolutly fabulous at it. She could have either he or Edmund backed up against a tree within minutes of the start of a duel.

She was becoming more and more accustomed to Narnia and the idea of talking animals and such by the day, and was quickly becoming a member of the family. Susan had taken on the task of teaching Katherine the art of the bow, which Katherine was almost as good at as she was with a sword. One day, however, they found that while she was excellent with both sword and bow, her true talent was in knives. She could parry any sword, and stop any arrow with a dagger. Aslan decided that it was time for her to have her own set of weapons and bestowed upon her a set of silver knives of all shapes and sizes. After that, all four Pevensies were well aware of the fact that Katherine was heavily armed, and dangerous. She enjoyed their practice sessions, and Peter especially enjoyed going up against her. He didn't need to hold back when he was practicing with her, because he simply couldn't get past her. As he became used to her techniques though, Peter began to find the cracks. One day, quite without meaning to, he managed to jab into her attack and through the spinning knives to her arm. He stopped and watched, horrified at the blood dripping from the wound.

"Katie, Katie I'm sorry. I thought you were coming up into a block, I honestly didn't mean to..." He trailed off and Katherine grinned.

"Oh Peter, stop worrying so much. It's not very deep." They walked over to where they had four tents set up. One was the girls, one the boys, one Aslan stayed in, and one was simply a sort of living room. It was this tent that Katherine and Peter ducked into. Katherine began to unlace her dress, and Peter instinctively looked away.

Katherine rolled her eyes. Peter looked up it time to see her wince while pulling her arm through her sleeve and reached out to help her. After a moment she was free of the garment and was standing in a slip examining the gash that ran for about two inches from the top of her shoulder. Somewhere in the back of his mind was a voice saying that this was indecent and that he needed to leave before someone who would take the situation the wrong way showed up, but a much larger part of him kept him rooted to the spot.

She was truly beautiful. Her brown hair was streaked with caramel, and tousled from the duel. It framed her wide, dark brown eyes perfectly. He found himself staring at her and shook his head. She was just a girl. Just a very, very pretty girl. That was all, and he needed to remember that. He shook his head again to clear it and rummaged through the box that contained the bandages and ointments. He sat her down and wrapped her arm for her, cleaning it carefully. As he worked he noticed that she smelled of strawberries. Her skin was soft beneath his coarse hands, and when he looked up he noticed that a slight blush had crept it's way to her cheeks.

Her eyes met his and for a moment he was lost in those pools of brown. She bit her lip and he found himself leaning closer to her. Her breath fanned across his lips, and tingles of anticipation rippled through him. Their lips were almost touching now, and Peter wanting nothing more than to close the distance between them. A branch snapped beneath someones shoe outside the tent and Peter lurched backward. Katherine stared up at him and brought her hand to her mouth. Her eyes widened even further and she sat back. Peter abruptly stood and left the tent, leaving Katherine shaken and confused.

Katherine redressed in a daze, stumbling around as though drunk. Her close encounter with Peter's lips had left her feeling strangely disconnected.

She had never thought about how she felt for Peter before. There was no denying that he was gorgeous, but she hadn't yet decided whether or not what she felt was merely her reaction to his looks, or if her feelings went deeper. She strapped on her knives and stepped out of the tent. The air was cool, and it helped to clear her mind. She gazed across the field and caught sight of Peter stalking into the woods, followed quickly by Edmund. As she watched him her cheeks flamed, and she put a hand to her face. What was he doing to her? She never wanted to fall in love with him. Falling in love came with risks; different risks than the ones on the battle field. She turned and fled into the wood, whipping out her knives and fighting invisible foes until she was so exhausted that she collapsed.

As she fell to the ground, she was disgruntled to find that she wasn't too tired to think. Her mind was a whirlwind of activity, and the common point of all her thoughts was Peter. Her hand brushed her throat where the remnants of the bruise were fading. Men couldn't be trusted. She knew that, and yet she found herself letting her guard down around Peter.

She shouted in frustration as she lay there; wondering what on earth made her think he was any different. She picked up one of her knives and jabbed it into the ground. Men were men, and none of them could be trusted. She felt herself drifting off and floated into a dream of the past; reliving one of her personal nightmares.

"_Papa? I am home," Katherine set her bag on the table and made her way through the house to where her father was slumped in his chair. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her was sleeping and walked back to the kitchen. She pulled down various items and began cooking dinner. As she cooked she hummed, enjoying her time without her father. _

_After a while though, she heard him begin to stir in his chair. He lumbered out of the living room and glared at her. She swallowed, and dropped her eyes. He reeked of alcohol and vomit, and it was all she could do not to cover her nose and mouth. He turned to the fridge and pulled the door open. He snatched a beer of the shelf and stood. Leaning against the counter he drained the beer in one gulp. He wiped a hand across his mouth and stood up unsteadily. Katherine shrank back against the wall, wondering what her father was thinking. _

_He stalked over to her, and brought the empty bottle up above his head. With a roar of anger he brought it down upon the wall beside her head. The glass shattered and sprayed her. She cringed, but kept quiet and still; hoping that he would leave. _

"_Worthless little witch." He spat at her. She still did not move, knowing that it would only provoke him further. _

_He reached down and grabbed her wrist, dragging her to her feet he shoving her out the door. She stumbled to the old rusted truck that sat in the yard and he picked her up and threw her violently inside. He climbed into the drivers side and backed out of the driveway. They were silent until he pulled into a deserted parking lot. On the edge of the lot was a forest,and she knew that on the other side of the woods there was a lake. He pulled her out of the car and she went, without a fight onto the trail her steered her to. They walked until they were at the water's edge. At that point, he picked Katherine up and threw her into the water. She looked up at him, wondering what he was doing. His smile was crazed, and she found that she was suddenly afraid. He grabbed her head and shoved it under the water. She fought to bring her head above, but he was stronger. He dragged her up by her hair coughing and spluttering. _

_He laughed maniacally,and pushed her under again. This time he didn't allow her to come up until she went limp, bubbles surfacing around her. She was quickly losing consciousness, and she felt the panic like a fist crushing her chest. Her lungs burned within her, and the darkness was creeping in around her. She was thrashing, fighting until the last moment... _

Katherine opened her eyes, breathing heavily and shaking.

"Seulement un rêve*," She whispered to herself , wiping a hand across her eyes.

She squeezed her eyes shut momentarily; trying to chase away the memory. She dragged her self to her feet noticing for the first time that the woods were dark. She reached over and yanked her knife from the ground, then she found a stream and splashed the cold water onto her face. After she felt fully awake, she picked herself up and made her way back to the camp.

Upon her arrival she was met by Peter. He glared at her and began in a hushed tone,

"Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you. Don't you ever wander off like that again."

Katherine's mouth fell open in angered shock.

"And since when have you had any say over where I go or what I do? I've known you for a week. In that week, you have dragged me into another world, one that I had no clue existed, you've introduced me to talking animals, and told me that I've got to get strong as we'll probably be fighting a war while we're here. Through all of this, I've blindly followed you. But when you, someone who knows nothing of me, and who I know nothing about, starts reprimanding me for being out too late? I will not take that from you Peter." As soon as she'd let the words drop from her lips, she regretted them. Not because she thought Peter didn't deserve to be yelled at, but an angry man was a dangerous one. She wondered if it was too late to shut it down?

The look in Peter's eyes was one of pure venom. He ran a hand through his hair and stood, looking at her as she shifted uneasily beneath his gaze.

"Katherine," He said, and she could tell he was working hard to keep his voice calm, "You've got to be careful out there. Suppose a giant, or a minotaur came across you and weren't feeling particularly friendly? This place is beautiful, but dangerous."

"Yes, just like you." She spat at him. She pushed past him and on to her tent, not bothering to look back upon hearing Peter's splutters and protests. "Good night, Peter." was all she said as the flap closed behind her.

Peter was left standing in the clearing, wondering what on earth was wrong with her. She was infuriating, impossible, stubborn, and to his absolute disgust, she was intoxicating, beautiful, and clever. These were all reasons that they got along, but they also were the cause for inevitable and nasty argument.

He kicked a clump of dirt as a way of releasing his anger. He was in a horrible situation. She was obviously worked up over the episode earlier, and he believed that there was something else beneath it all that he wasn't quite seeing. He had only been looking out for her well being when he had been harsh about where she'd been. There was definatly a spark between them, but whether it would turn into a fire that provided warmth, or a fire that burned, Peter hadn't yet discovered. He looked back at the tent where Katherine was most likely sleeping and sighed. He crept as quietly as possible to the tent, thinking that if she was awake he'd apologize. He pushed the flap aside and discovered that she was in fact already sleeping. He gazed at her for a moment, taking in her features as they were when she was relaxed. He smiled as he watched her, knowing that if she found him there she'd likely kill him.

He heard a branch crack behind him and turned to see Edmund staring at him. Edmund raised his eyebrows and gave Peter a look that clearly asked, "What the bloody hell are you doing?" He gestured towards the tent they shared and started walking to it. Peter followed and they were soon settled inside.

"What's going on with you Pete?" Edmund asked him when it became clear that Peter wasn't going to reveal anything on his own.

"Kate. Just...Kate." Peter replied, staring at the roof of the tent. Edmund nodded, and kept quiet until Peter had finished his account if the day's events.

"Well mate, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that leading a girl to believe you're interested and then greeting her next by yelling at her isn't going to have the best results." Edmund shook his head and smiled; rolling over onto his back. "It's doesn't seem like the best way to start off a relationship."

"Relationship? Who said anything about a relationship? That was a moment of stupidity on my part. It's not like I'm in love with her." Peter said sharply.

"Yeah, right." Edmund settled in and closed his eyes.

"I'm not! She's just a pretty girl! I have no attachment to her!" Peter protested.

"Pete, you spend nearly all your time staring at her. When she trains, you jump at the opportunity to train with her. You practically follow her like a lost puppy!" Edmund looked at Peter knowingly. "I'm telling you Pete, she's got you hooked. Anyway," He yawned, "I'm tired. You should get some sleep yourself. Clear your mind."

"Yeah. Good night, Ed." Peter rolled over, but didn't sleep for a while. His mind was running over what Edmund had said. Maybe, just maybe, Edmund was right.

*Oh, je dois devenir fou- Oh, I must be going crazy.

Bon Seigneur-Good Lord.

Seulement un rêve-Only a dream.


	3. Chapter 3

_Rain, cold and dark pelts down upon a small, brown house in Barnsley. The house looks old and worn, as though it has seen too many of these storms. Inside the house however, there is a storm of a different nature. A father is beating his daughter; telling her that she's useless, worthless, and that he never wanted her. _

_She puts up her hands to shield herself from his hateful blows; but still is showered with his violence. Suddenly a boy, he looks to be about seventeen, bursts into the room. He has brown hair that is on the long side and a muscular build. He immediately throws himself between the crazed father and the seemingly helpless girl._

"_Katherine, go! I'll handle him, just get out!" The boy screams. He looks back at his broken and battered sister and feels rage wash through him. He looks at their father who is so drunk he can't stand straight. _

"_Metthieu, I won't leave you," She says quietly. His anger turns to desperation._

"_Katherine! He is dangerous! You are already hurt; just-" But he is silenced by a blow to his head. Their father has picked up a hammer and is brutally caving in his own son's skull. Katherine screams, begging her father to stop, but it is to late. The boy's features have been smashed beyond recognition, and he lays dead upon the floor. Katherine shakes the hollow shell that used to be her beloved brother; sobs racking her body. His blood is on her hands when she finally leans back against the wall, trying to somehow come to terms with what has just happened. Her father drops the hammer with a sudden crash, and bolts outside where he rids his stomach of it's contents._

Katherine woke with a start, the memory of her brother's murder fresh. Tears fell from her eyes as she lay in her bed; trying to chase away the demons that kept this nightmare from forever leaving the chambers of her mind.

She stood and made her way outside. The cold air brushed her face and chilled her in her lightweight dress. She decided on taking a walk to shake the horror that was hanging over her, but was forced to pass the river in order to get to the path. She skirted around the water carefully, not getting any closer than necessary. Although her near pass with death by drowning was far away in the past, her fear of the water was still very real. She meandered aimlessly through the woods until she felt the others would be up and looking for her, then made her way back to the camp.

As she took her seat at their makeshift table, she noticed that Aslan was gone. She felt a pang that she hadn't been able to say goodbye and hoped he'd be back soon. The other four were already around the table and Peter was looking everywhere but at her, avoiding her eyes. She smiled bitterly and started in on her breakfast which had been laid out in front of her by Susan, who did most of the cooking.

The conversation was light, and Katherine found herself laughing with Lucy over a bird who was swooping down on them, steeling bits of their breakfast and completely frustrating the boys when they couldn't catch it.

After breakfast, Katherine stood and went into the tent for her knives and disappeared back into the woods for some practice. It wasn't until sometime later when she was resting that she noticed Peter leaning against a tree across the clearing from her.

For a minute neither of them spoke and the only sound was the river some twenty feet away. Finally, Peter cleared his throat and said,

"I reckon I was out of place last night."

"I would be inclined to agree with you." Katherine said shortly, not quite willing to forgive him yet.

Peter walked over to the river. He turned to her and held out his hand.

"Come here, the light on the water's beautiful."

She knew he was just trying to make peace, but the thought of going near the water sent terror shooting through her body.

"Oh, come on, don't tell my you're afraid of getting a little water on you!" He teased her, and not wanting him to know how scared she truly was, she slowly made her way towards the river to stand beside him.

He suddenly stepped into the water and playfully splashed her. As soon as the water hit her she was reminded of the fact that she was alone with him, and this water was deep enough to drown in. In her surprise she tripped over a rock and fell, soaking herself. The water that was swirling around her made her freeze in panic. She looked up at Peter, fear evident in her eyes. She felt his hand wrap firmly around her arm and begin to drag her up. Her breath hitched in her throat as the memory of another time like this one played out in her head.

"Lâcher! Me lâcher!* "She screamed, suddenly unable to remember a word of English. She wrenched her arm with all her strength, but his grip tightened. The fear rose in her, an she fought harder. She screamed and flailed her free arm around, catching Peter in the chest. She could hear him yelling something, but through the sudden ringing in her ears, she couldn't tell what. Tears of panic were streaming down her cheeks and they blurred her vision. Peter finally let go of her and she bolted from the water. She didn't stop running when she hit the dry bank of the river; instead charging in a frenzy of blind, uncontrollable terror through the woods. Her only thought was to put as much distance between herself and Peter and the river as possible.

She ran, not seeing or caring where she was going until she at last, in her confusion and exhaustion tripped over a root and fell, sobbing at the base of a huge oak tree. It was some time later when she felt a soft hand upon her shoulder. She looked up through tear filled eyes to see Susan. Without a word, she helped Katherine to a sitting position and put an arm around her shoulders.

"What happened back there? Peter wasn't going to hurt you, he was trying to help you up." Susan said softly, draping a cloak over Katherine's shaking body.

Katherine shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, new tears spilling down her cheeks. She hugged her knees to her chest and leaned back into the tree.

"Katie, we can't help you if you don't tell us whats wrong." Susan wiped Katherine's hair away from her face.

Katherine looked up at Susan, then slowly dropped her eyes back to her feet.

"I h-hate w-water." Katherine stuttered. She bit her lip and continued to tell Susan everything about her experience with almost being drowned by her father. With every word that tumbled from Katherine's mouth, Susan looked more horror stricken. "I guess when I fell in the river, and Peter grabbed me, it just terrified me. I...I knew it wasn't my father, but I was already so scared of the water itself, that when I felt his hand, I panicked." Katherine finished, wiping the tears from her eyes hurriedly, as though just noticing they were there. Eventually Susan helped Katherine to her feet and they started back through the woods. As they neared the camp however, Katherine stopped.

"I don't really want to see Peter." She clasped her hands tightly in front of herself, looking as though she may start crying all over again. Susan nodded and led her to the tent they shared. Katherine changed quickly into something dry, and sat down on her bed. Susan left to make her something hot to drink, leaving Katherine alone to sort through her thoughts.

Susan noticed that the sun was getting low in the sky, signaling evening. She would have to start on dinner soon, but her real concern now that Katherine seemed alright, was Peter. He had been incredibly upset by what happened with Katherine, and could probably use some company.

It was only then that she looked around for Lucy, hoping that she could attend to Katherine. She frowned as it dawned on her that Lucy was nowhere to be seen. She turned, now looking for Edmund. What was bewilderment now turned to worry as she scanned the camp; searching for any sign of them.

Out of the growing dusk she heard someone, definatly a man yell,

"Damn it Ed, I don't know! I didn't do anything to her!"

She smiled, realizing that they were with Peter and she wouldn't have to go running out to deal with him herself.

A ways into the woods, and still beside the river Peter was pacing. He was furious, absolutly furious with himself, and Katherine. Why was she so sensitive? If she hadn't wanted to go in the water, she shouldn't have! It wasn't his fault. He stopped, resting a hand on one of the huge trees. Of course it was his fault. He had teased her, talked her into it. Then it had been him who had splashed her; and once she fell, he had grabbed her arm. It had obviously scared her.

A few feet away Lucy stood, nervously holding onto Edmund's hand. She had never seen Peter so angry. Cautiously, she edged forward; dropping Edmund's hand and approaching Peter. She slipped beside him and at the feeling of her tiny hand slipping into his, Peter sighed. He looked down at her and shook his head. He would never do anything to truly scare, or hurt either her, Susan, or Katherine. He looked up at Edmund. Even him, he wouldn't really hurt. He sat down, his back to the tree trunk; and Lucy sat beside him.

"Peter?" Lucy asked quietly, as though if she spoke too loud Peter would start yelling again.

"Yeah Lu?" He had calmed down a bit now, and Lucy nestled closer.

"Why did she run away from you?" Lucy's question was innocent in it's nature, but it was a question that seemed to cut Peter deeply. Why had she run? What had he done wrong?

"I don't know Lu." He removed his hand from he grasp, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. The gesture more for his own comfort than hers. He leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes; suddenly very tired.

It was now dark, and Peter realized he had lost track of time. He gazed down at his sister who was nearly asleep at his side. He looked up at Edmund, who stood in silence a few feet away, his arms crossed as though he were contemplating something. Peter stood and Lucy slid down onto the ground, fast asleep. He took off his coat and draped it over her still form.

He then turned to Edmund, who regarded him coolly.

"Well?" Peter finally prompted.

"Well what?" Edmund pushed off the tree he'd been leaning against and walked past Peter to sit on the river bank. Peter clenched his teeth, not at all in the mood for Edmund's sarcasm.

"Ed..." Peter said, warningly. To accent Peter foul humor Edmund turned and smirked at him, a mischievous glint ever present in his eye.

"Lighten up Pete." Edmund picked up a rock and tossed it, sending it sailing into the river. Peter sat beside his brother and gazed at the spot where the rock had disappeared.

"Ed, you were there for most of it, I know you followed me and were watching, so don't even try to deny it. What do you make of it?" Peter smiled slightly at his brothers flushed features. Edmund had been so sure that he'd gone unnoticed, and hated being called out when he was caught.

Edmund picked up another rock and landed it in the river also before turning to Peter.

"She's terrified of water. Or you; or both, I suppose." Edmund shrugged.

"Me? But...why? What have I done that she would fear me?" Peter's voice had begun to rise, and Lucy stirred. Edmund hushed Peter, and they both fell silent. Finally Edmund cracked a smile and said,

"Well mate, you yanked her into a whole new world. That's not exactly normal!" Edmund laughed softly and shook his head. "Ah, I don't know Pete. Perhaps it's all men she's afraid of. Perhaps it's just the water." Edmund grew quiet and for a while the brothers sat, throwing rocks into the river and thinking over the afternoon's events.

When they had sufficiently emptied the river bank of objects to throw, Peter stood up and brushed himself off. Edmund followed his example and once peter had Lucy comfortably settled in his arms they set off for the camp.

Once they got back they found that their dinner, while still sitting on the table, was cold. They both opted out of eating it and instead decided to turn in early. Peter carried Lucy to the girls tent and ducked inside. Both Susan and Katherine were sleeping and Peter set Lucy on her bed without disturbing them. When he was walking back out of the tent, however, he heard a rustling of sheets behind him. He turned to see Katherine awake and staring at him; her eyes wide. She dropped her eyes to the floor, and then glanced back up at him.

"Katie," He began taking a step towards her. She breathed in sharply and shrank back into her pillows. He stopped dead in his tracks; watching her. She rolled away from him, turning her face to the side of the tent and pulled the blankets up over her head.

He turned and stormed out into the night, too upset now to sleep. She had absolutly no reason to act this way towards him. He had merely been trying to make peace with her after their argument the night before. He gnashed his teeth together as he paced the rim of the camp, trying to calm himself down.

"Peter?"

He heard the tiny voice, but pretended not to. He didn't want to see anyone.

"Peter, are you alright?"

Whoever it was, they were completely infuriating him. Through his anger, he didn't know who was speaking. It didn't much matter who it was either. They were meddling in something that was better off left alone. Without turning, and keeping his voice at a deadly, angry whisper, he said,

"Do I look alright, you little idiot? Why can't you just leave me alone and go to sleep. I don't need anyone who's going to joke, or press me, or tell me it's my fault. Go away." He knew his words were biting, but he didn't care. All he cared about was putting the person away from him.

Then he felt a tiny hand, slip into his. As soon as he felt that tiny pressure, his anger was gone.

_Lucy._

He looked down at her to see that her eyes were shining with tears barely held in check. He quickly crouched so that he was face to face with her.

"Oh Lu, I didn't know it was you. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of that." He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, feeling worse about himself than he had before.

"I won't joke about it Peter. Really," She put a hand on his shoulder. He sighed deeply. Had it really come to this? His little sister was comforting him.

"I know." He stood, turning away from her. She sat on the ground behind him, curling her knees to her chest.

"Where do I go from here?" He asked, staring up at the sky as though it would answer him. He had known her only for a week, and yet it was as though she had become a part of him.

He turned back to Lucy, who seemed to be concentrating intently upon a point in the distance.

"Lu? What are you looking at?" Peter looked where she was, and saw something moving, coming ever closer. As Peter watched, the object took the shape of a horse and rider.

"Lucy, get back to the camp. Don't wake Ed and the girls. I can handle this." When Lucy started to protest, Peter glared at her in a way that told her to just do as she was told.

Once Lucy had run off Peter drew his sword. He crouched in the bushes and awaited the arrival of the mysterious rider.

After about three minutes the rider was close enough for Peter to see him. He looked to be no older than Peter himself, and had the sharp gleam of terror in his eye. Deciding that the boy was not a threat, Peter replaced his sword and stepped out of the shadows. When the boy jolted and drew his own sword, Peter put his hands in the air to signal that he meant the boy no harm.

"Who are you?" Peter asked after the boy's sword was safely back in it's scabbard.

"Prince Caspien, who are you?" Caspien asked warily.

"High King Peter. What are you doing here?" Peter looked up at the sound of horses hooves pounding against the forest floor and men shouting. In the distance he saw a small army of about ten men coming. He and Caspien looked at each other and Peter clenched his jaw. He could bring Caspien back to the camp and protect him, thus endangering the rest of the family, or he could leave him to fend for himself. Peter's mind was made up however when Lucy ran out from behind a tree.

"Lucy! I told you to go back to the camp." Peter was furious.

"There isn't much time. We have to get back and warn the others!" She had a look of fierce determination on her face, and Peter knew she was right. They started up the trail back to the tents, when Lucy gave an exasperated huff , turned, and started running back.

"What are you doing?" Peter said loudly. Then he saw her grab Caspien's sleeve.

"Come on! Why are you just standing there?" She and Caspien both began to run back up to where Peter was anxiously waiting, leading the horse with them.

They raced back to the camp and tethered the animal in the woods, out of view of the trail. They then burst into the boy's tent and sat quietly, only breaking the silence to shush Edmund when he woke and tried to ask what was going on.

The horsemen rode by without pausing, apparently convinced that Caspien had gone farther up the trail.

They waited a few minutes and then relaxed. Lucy departed for the girls tent and the boys made up a bed for Caspien. They all then lay down, and Caspien explained that he was on the run from his uncle, who wanted to kill him because he was a the only thing in the way of his young cousin seizing the throne when his uncle died. After they had gotten to know each other they all decided on going to sleep, since the morning would come quickly.

*Lâcher! Me lâcher!- Let go! Let go of me!


End file.
